Sign.



J. N. MAY & C. A. TREAT. A. MAY, ADMINISTRATBIX'OI .T. N. MAY, DEGD.

SIGN.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 2, 1908. 5 Q Q CO r LO v i" WITNESSES: INVENTORSY Mav UNITED STA1EATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH N. MAY AND CLIFFORD A. TREAT, OF DENVER, COLORADO; ALICE MAY ADMINIS- TRATRIX OF SAID JOSEPH N. MAY, DECEASED.

Application filed March 2, 1908.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, Josnrn l MAY and CLIFFORD A. TREAT, citizens of the United States of America, residing at Denver, in the county of Denver and State of Colorado, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Signs, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in signs and has for its object to provide a device of this class in which lights employed to illuminate it by night, are arranged so as to cause the letters comprisedin the sign, to stand out clearly and sharply against a luminous background and which being entirely concealed, do not impair the artistic appearance of the sign by day.

We attain these objects by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings in the various views of which like parts are similarly designated and in which Figure 1represents a face or front view of the contrivance, Fig. 2an enlarged, transverse section taken along a line 2-2, Fig. 1, Fig. 3-a section taken along a line 33, Fig. 2, drawn to a reduced scale, and Fig. 4a perspective of one of the characters included in the sign, (rear view).

The device consists of a box or casing 5 of suitable proportions, having in its face an opening 6 bordered by a flange 7 which extends inwardly from the edges of the margillal portion 8 of the said face.

Secured upon the flange 7 is a surrounding partition 9 which extends parallel and in spaced relation to the inner surface of the marginal portion 8 of the face plate of the sign and which serves to form a compartment 10, in which the wires employed to conduct electric fluid to the lamps by which the sign is illuminated, are inclosed. The above mentioned lamps 12 are secured upon the outer surface of the partition 9 and are electrically connected with the conductors 13 which, as stated before, are disposed within the compartment 10 and whose terminals protruding through an opening in the wall of the casing, are connected with a suitable source of electricity.

The reference numerals 14 designate the letters or characters which compose the reading matter of the sign and which may be formed in any desired manner and of metal or any suitable opaque material. They are preferably disposed with their faces Specification of Letters Patent.

SIGN.

Patented Jan. 5, 1909.

Serial No. 418,901.

extending in a plane with the face of the casing, in spaced relation to the edges of the opening 6 and at a distance from the back 15 of the sign to which they are rigidly secured by means of bolts 16.

In the construction disclosed in the drawings, the metallic characters 14 are made hollow and provided with rearwardly extending surrounding flanges 17 which provide in each character, a recess capable of containing supplemental lights 18 which in signs of large proportions, are required to produce the desired effect.

The lamps are connected with the electric circuit by means of subsidiary wires 19 which lead from the main conductors 13 across the several letters comprised in the sign and which connect with the lamps 18 placed in the recesses formed by the flanges 17.

The surface of the back plate 15 of the casing 5, which serves as a background for the characters 14., is coated with a color which contrasts with that on the face of the said characters and which is best adapted to reflect the light, and the partition Whose outer surface serves as a deflector for the raysof light produced by the lamps mounted thereon, is likewise covered with a suitable reflecting substance.

As all the lamps employed to illuminate the sign are concealed, the contrivance will in daytime, have the a pearance of an ordinary sign in which t e letters stand out boldly against the background of contrasting color, While by night when the light produced by the many lamps is deflected upon the background, the sign presents a most striking appearance with its opaque characters appearing dark upon a luminous field.

It is obvious that to produce a sign capable of being observed from two opposite points, such as those projecting from a building, the device may be composed of two casings constructed as shown and described and having a common back plate or of one casing having openings in its opposite faces and centrally divided by a partition.

Having thus described our invention what we claim is 1. In a sign, a casing having a light reflecting back and an opening in its face, characters spaced from the edges of the said opening at a distance from the said back I liii;

and lamps concealed behind the marginal portion of the face surrounding the opening, the parts of the opening not occupied by the characters being 0 en to expose the reflecting surface of the hack.

2. In a sign a casing having a light refleeting back and an opening in its face, characters spaced from the edges of the said opening at a distance from the back, an inturned flange surrounding the opening and spaced from the sides of the casing, lamps concealed in the said space, the portion of the opening, not occupied by the characters being open to expose the reflecting surface of the back.

3. In a sign, a casing having a light-refleeting back, an opening in its face and a compartment surrounding the said 0 ening, characters spaced from the edges 0 the said opening at a distance from the back, lamps arranged in proximity to the compartment, to illuminate the said back and electrical conductors inclosed in the said compartment.

In testimony whereof We have affixed our 2.5

signatures in presence of tWo Witnesses.

JOSEPH N. MAY. CLIFFORD A. TREAT.

Witnesses:

G. J. ROLLANDET, K. M. STUMP. 

